Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Royal New Yoorleans’

ABSTRACT

A distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Royal New Yoorleans’, characterized by its uniform and upright plant habit; strong and vigorous growth habit; dark green foliage; uniform flowering response; early and freely flowering habit; daisy-type inflorescences; purple and white bi-colored ray florets and bright yellow-colored disc florets; and good postproduction longevity.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar ofChrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemum×morifolium andhereinafter referred to by the name ‘Royal New Yoorleans’.

The new Chrysanthemum is a product of a planned breeding programconducted by the Inventors in Fort Myers, Fla. and Salinas, Calif. Theobjective of the breeding program is to create new potted Chrysanthemumcultivars that are suitable for year-round production with uniform plantgrowth habit, good vigor, desirable inflorescence form and floretcolors, fast response time, and good postproduction longevity.

The new Chrysanthemum is a naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of aproprietary induced mutation that originated by exposing unrootedcuttings of the Chrysanthemum cultivar New Yoorleans, disclosed in U.S.Plant Pat. No. 11,215, to X-ray radiation in December, 1996, in FortMyers, Fla. The new Chrysanthemum was discovered and selected by theInventors as a single flowering plant within a population of plants ofthe irradiated selection in April, 1997 in Salinas, Calif. The selectionof this plant was based on its uniform plant growth habit, good vigor,desirable inflorescence form and floret colors, fast response time, andgood postproduction longevity.

Asexual reproduction of the new Chrysanthemum by vegetative tip cuttingswas first conducted in Salinas, Calif. in July, 1997. Asexualreproduction by cuttings has shown that the unique features of this newChrysanthemum are stable and reproduced true to type in successivegenerations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The cultivar Royal New Yoorleans has not been observed under allpossible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat withvariations in environment such as temperature, daylength, and/or lightlevel, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘Royal New Yoorleans’. Thesecharacteristics in combination distinguish ‘Royal New Yoorleans’ as anew and distinct Chrysanthemum:

1. Uniform and upright plant habit.

2. Strong and vigorous growth habit.

3. Dark green foliage.

4. Uniform flowering response.

5. Typically grown as a spray-type.

6. Early flowering, eight-week response time.

7. Freely flowering habit.

8. Daisy-type inflorescences that are about 6.3 cm in diameter.

9. Purple and white bi-colored ray florets and bright yellow-coloreddisc florets.

10. Good postproduction longevity with plant maintaining good substanceand color for at least three weeks in an interior environment.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of thecultivar New Yoorleans. In side-by-side comparisons conducted by theInventors in Salinas, Calif., plants of the New Chrysanthemum differfrom plants of the cultivar New Yoorleans in the followingcharacteristics:

1. Ray florets of plants of the new Chrysanthemum have a larger ratio ofpurple to white coloration than ray florets of plants of the cultivarNew Yoorleans.

2. Purple ray floret color of plants of the new Chrysanthemum is darkerthan purple ray floret color of plants of the cultivar New Yoorleans.

3. Retention of ray floret coloration under high temperature and/or lowlight conditions is better on plants of the new Chrysanthemum thanplants of the cultivar New Yoorleans.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearanceof the new Chrysanthemum showing the colors as true as it is reasonablypossible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in thephotographs may differ from the color values cited in the detailedbotanical description which accurately describe the colors of the newChrysanthemum.

The photograph on the first sheet comprises a side perspective view of atypical flowering plant of ‘Royal New Yoorleans’ grown a spray-type.

The photograph at the top of the second sheet comprises a close-up viewof typical inflorescences of ‘Royal New Yoorleans’ grown as aspray-type.

The photograph at the bottom of the second sheet comprises a close-upview of typical inflorescences of the new Chrysanthemum (left) and ‘NewYoorleans’ (right).

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

In the following description, color references are made to The RoyalHorticultural Society Colour Chart except where general terms ofordinary dictionary significance are used. The following observationsand measurements describe plants grown and flowered during the winter inSalinas, Calif., in a fiberglass-covered greenhouse and under conditionswhich approximate those generally used in commercial pottedChrysanthemum production. During the production of these plants, thefollowing conditions were measured: day temperatures, 21 to 27° C.;night temperatures, 17 to 19° C.; and light levels, 5,000 to 6,000foot-candles. Four unrooted cuttings were directly stuck in 15-cmcontainers, exposed to long day/short night conditions, and pinched onceabout 14 days later. At that time, the photoinductive short day/longnight treatments were started. Plants used for this description weregrown as spray-types. Measurements and numerical values representaverages of typical flowering plants.

Botanical classification: Chrysanthemum×morifolium cultivar Royal NewYoorleans.

Commercial classification: Daisy-type potted Chrysanthemum.

Parentage: Naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of a proprietaryChrysanthemum×morifolium induced mutation, not patented.

Propagation:

Type.—Terminal tip cuttings.

Time to initiate roots.—About four days at 21° C.

Time to produce a rooted cutting.—About ten days at 21° C.

Root description.—White, fibrous.

Rooting habit.—Freely branching.

Plant description:

Appearance.—Herbaceous daisy-type potted Chrysanthemum typically grownas a spray-type. Stems mostly upright and somewhat outwardly spreading;uniform crown. Freely branching, about three lateral branches developafter removal of terminal apex (pinching); dense and full plant.Vigorous.

Plant height.—About 28.5 cm.

Plant width.—About 37 cm.

Lateral branches.—Length: About 23 cm. Diameter: About 4 mm. Internodelength: About 1.75 cm. Strength: Strong. Texture: Pubescent. Color:146A.

Foliage description.—Arrangement: Alternate. Quantity of leaves perlateral stem: About 11 or 12. Length: About 6.9 cm. Width: About 6.1 cm.Apex: Rounded, cuspidate to mucronate. Base: Attenuate to truncate.Margin: Palmately lobed, sinuses between lateral lobes parallel todivergent. Texture: Upper and lower surfaces with very fine pubescence:veins prominent on lower surface. Color: Young foliage, upper surface:Darker than 147A. Young foliage, lower surface: Darker than 147B. Maturefoliage, upper surface: Close to 147A. Mature foliage, lower surface:Close to 147B. Venation, upper surface: Close to 146C. Venation, lowersurface: 147B to 146C. Petiole length: About 2.1 cm. Petiole diameter:About 3.5 mm. Petiole color: Close to 146C.

Inflorescence description:

Appearance.—Daisy-type inflorescence form with elongated oblong-shapedray florets. Inflorescences borne on terminals above foliage. Disk andray florets arranged acropetally on a capitulum. Not fragrant. Typicallygrown as a natural or center-budded spray-type.

Flowering response.—Under natural conditions, plants flower in theautumn/winter in the Northern Hemisphere. At other times of the year,inflorescence initiation and development can be induced under shortday/long night conditions (at least 13.5 hours of darkness). Earlyflowering; plants exposed to two weeks of long day/short nightconditions followed by photoinductive short day/long night conditionsflower about 50 to 55 days later when grown during the winter.

Postproduction longevity.—Inflorescences maintain good color andsubstance for at least three weeks in an interior environment.

Quantity of inflorescences.—Freely flowering, about 9 inflorescencesdevelop per lateral stem, or about 27 inflorescences per plant.

Inflorescence bud.—Height: About 7 mm. Diameter: About 9 mm. Color:Close to 137A.

Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 6.3 cm. Depth (height): About 1.8cm. Diameter of disc: About 1.6 cm. Receptacle diameter: About 6 mm.

Ray florets.—Shape: Elongated-oblong. Orientation: Initially upright,then about 70° from vertical. Aspect: Mostly flat and straight. Length:About 3.2 cm. Width: About 1.2 cm. Corolla tube length: About 2 mm.Apex: Acute. Base: Attenuate; short corolla tube. Margin: Entire.Texture: Smooth, glabrous, satiny. Number of ray florets perinflorescence: About 23 arranged in one or two rows. Color: When openingand fully expanded, upper surface: Apex and mid-section: Closest to 61A.Base: 155D. When opening and fully expanded, lower surface: Apex tocenter: 155D underlain with 71A. Base to center: 155D.

Disc florets.—Arrangement: Massed at center of receptacle. Shape:Tubular, elongated. Apex: Five-pointed. Length: About 6 mm. Width: Apex:About 1.5 mm. Base: About 1 mm. Number of disc florets perinflorescence: About 144. Color: Immature: 154A to 5A. Mature: Apex: 7A.Mid-section: Close to 145C. Base: 155D.

Peduncles.—Length: First peduncle: About 3.2 cm. Fourth peduncle: About5.3 cm. Seventh peduncle: About 5.7 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm. Angle tovertical: About 45 to 50° from vertical. Strength: Moderately strong,flexible. Texture: Pubescent. Color: 146A.

Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Present on disc florets only. Anthercolor: 9A. Pollen: Not observed. Gynoecium: Present on both ray and discflorets.

Seed.—Seed production has not been observed.

Disease resistance: Resistance to pathogens common to Chrysanthemums hasnot been observed on plants grown under commercial greenhouseconditions.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plantnamed ‘Royal New Yoorleans’, as illustrated and described.